Vehicle wheels have conventionally been made from steel or other metallic construction. While metal wheels have generally performed satisfactorily, they unfortunately are relatively heavy and expensive to manufacture in terms of capital investment for lower volumes.
In an effort to overcome these and other difficulties with metal wheels, it has been proposed to construct the wheels out of fiber reinforced plastic material. These are often referred to as composite wheels. Composite wheels show promise in that they are lighter weight and comparatively more economical in terms of capital investment for lower volumes to manufacture than conventional metal wheels.
The following is a respective, though not exhaustive, list of patents showing various composite wheel constructions:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,639 to Woelfel et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,749 to Woelfel; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,490 to Woelfel et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,992 to Lejeune; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,247 to Shead et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,348 to Shumaker; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,274 to Lejeune; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,352 to Gageby; and PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,358 to Ridha.
Unfortunately, composite wheels have yet to gain wide acceptance. Composite wheels must meet or exceed higher standards than their metal counterparts in view of the relative newness of this structural material and its safety requirements. Such things as rim and disc fatigue, creep strength and environmental resistance are categories of tests performed.
The present invention is drawn to a new composite wheel construction and method of making it that is expected to provide good results in these test areas.